Prelude to a Million Years

Woodcuts #4

by Lynd Ward

A depression era novel in woodcuts.

Genres: Art, Graphic Novels, Fiction

66 pages, Board book

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

LYND WARD (1905-1985) illustrated more than two hundred books for children and adults throughout his prolific career. Winner of the Caldecott Medal for his watercolors in The Biggest Bear, Mr. Ward was also famous for his wood engravings, which are featured in museum collections throughout the United States and abroad.

Married to May Yonge McNeer, several of whose works he illustrated. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Reviews

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gorgeous. But impenetrable. Really the story did nothing for me. Some artist. Some strike. Whatever. But kind of beautiful.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short prelude to the themes and ideas that are further developed in Ward's 'novels without words. Each woodcut volume is a singular masterpiece, but not much story here.

[Luke Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neet, not in love with it tho

[Chris Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many other wordless novels by Lynd Ward, the art is beautiful and the story has themes of social distress (and is by and large confusing). There are some fantastical and religious images scattered throughout the narrative; it is unclear what these were. I interpreted them as some sort of divine inspiration daydream/vision of the protagonist (a sculptor).

[Michael P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Lynd Ward's brilliant depression era novel in woodcuts.

[Canavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

✭✭✭½

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Also fucking gorgeous. Not -quite- as gorgeous, but still mind bogglingly beautiful

[ComicNerdSam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mainly a retread of a lot of Ward's usual elements, but not particularly good. Just breezes past without sticking in your head.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not one of his best works. The story is bleak and not too complex. It's about a sculptor who sculpts a depiction of a nude woman. He goes into a city and sees a bunch of strikes going on, for presumably labor inequality. Also since this was made during the great depression, it would make sense that their would be commentary on it. He walks back home depressed, because of the mob like protestors and he sees a naked woman laying on a bed. He immediately runs away out of fear or social anxiety. And walks back to his sculpture of a nude woman.

I honestly interpret this story to be a extended metaphor to the artist grief during the great depression. Their work is seen as useless because the working class have no money to relinquish for art. So the artist suffers because their line of work is low in demand. So when he sees the woman on his bed, he isn't even inspired in his work anymore. He just cries to his sculpture to grief the past when art was valued.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prelude to a Million Years: A Book of Wood Engravings by Lynd Ward (Equinox 1933) (~686) (4005).

This book is a black-and-white wordless novel of prints made from engraved wooden blocks. Author and illustrator Lynd Ward was a master printmaker whose chosen medium was often woodcuts. Prelude to a Million Years: A Book of Wood Engravings is an example of this type of his work. The book’s theme is of life in a damned and doomed police state that is spiraling toward oblivion.

Cheerful? Nope. The subject matter is exceedingly dark and foreboding, but the illustrations are starkly and beautifully executed. This book is extremely unusual in its presentation.

Hey, it’s art!

My rating: 7/10, finished 12/5/24 (4005).

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lynd Ward's woodcuts are visually engaging, but the loose narrative in "Prelude to a Million Years" is quite a bit obscured and impenetrable. The images indicate some degree of religious symbology, but it's a bit too scattered to really delve into and discern a tangible plot. Nonetheless, the woodcuts on their own are worth scrutinizing due to the intricate details in each one.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. Feels biblical and about creation. We follow an artist creating a sculpture living in a place where there are strikes going on. He goes to visit a woman, maybe a prostitute? His muse? but she's past out drunk on wine. He goes back but struggles to work on his sculpture. Hmm... not quite as developed as other Ward stories.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so beautiful, but it went over my head. I'm so intrigued, want to look into more from this artist.

[Daniel Oster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, great art. However, there is really no story here